Ink Links

-- Sketching with Iroshizuku Inks (Francis THEO)

-- A Pen Geek in Seoul (Modern Stationer)

-- Inktastic - De Atramentis Rote Rosen (The Pencilcase Blog)

-- J. Herbin Poussière de Lune (inklode)

-- Organics Studio Arsenic Grey – Ink Review (Ed Jelley)

-- Pensieve: 1920/30s Conway Stewart 458 M Review (Scribalishess)

-- Midori's Traveler's Star Edition Notebook- Passport size (Seaweed Kisses)

-- Measuring up: A short review of the Midori ‘Japan works’ ruler (A fool with a pen)

-- Review: Now n Then Eco-Essential Pen & Pencil Set (Gourmet Pens)

-- My first Rotring (Pen Pursuit)

-- Review: Kaweco AL Sport Black Stonewashed (Fountain Pen Quest)

-- Pelikan M200 Cognac Special Edition (Italic) Review (Write to Me Often)

-- Ink Review: Montblanc Irish Green (The Gentleman Stationer)

-- Hands On: Kaweco Skyline in Mint (The Well-Appointed Desk)

-- Interview with Martin Pauli of Angular Momentum and Manu Propria (Pen&Design)

-- Pelikan Pelikano Jr. (Inkdependence!)

-- My Supply Room (There is a New BIC In Town)

-- Kaweco Special Fountain Pen Quick Review (THE UNROYAL WARRANT)

-- On Pencil Sharpers, and the Secret to a Great Point (Pencil Revolution)

-- Forest Choice: A Review (The Finer Point)

-- Report from the 2014 Raleigh Pen Show (Atramental Otaku)

-- Drawing Essentials (Mattias Adolfsson)

-- Monteverde One Touch Multi-Tool Pen (Office Supply Geek)

-- Sheaffer VFM fountain pen review (Pens! Paper! Pencils!)

-- Yoobi No. 2 Pencils - "One For You, One For Me" from the new Target school supplies line (Lung Sketching Scrolls)

-- Tale of a Vandal Pen Collector: Three Pilots Full (Peaceable Writer)

-- The Cross Dubai Review (Funkmon on pens.)

Posted on June 7, 2014 by Brad Dowdy and filed under Links.

Rotring 800+ Mechanical Pencil Review

There are many excellent drafting pencils on the market but none with the name recognition and history of the Rotring brand. The Rotring 600 is an all-time classic, with older models being passed down through generations as an heirloom. The Rotring 800 is a popular upgrade to the 600, giving the user a retractable lead sleeve to protect it from damage. The latest model, the Rotring 800+ brings this great product into the modern age with the addition of a capacitive stylus tip.

I'm of the opinion that some classics should be left alone, but Rotring has handled this correctly by adding the 800+ to the product line, not replacing one of their already popular other pencils. The stylus option will be devisive, but in the end the choice is up to you. I don't necessarily find it useful in my everyday life, but I can see how many would welcome this addition. A perfect use case came up in Apple's 2014 WWDC Keynote intro, with architect Daniel Libeskind using an iPad to draw using the Paper app. I could see architects, engineers, and artists using this pencil to transition back and forth from paper to tablet with ease.

I've owned my 600 for years and the 800+ falls right in line on the quality front. There is a density that you feel in the metal barrel but it isn't overly heavy. The hex barrel gives it a traditional look, as does the grip knurling, which is in the mid-range of roughness. The lead sleeve extends and retracts with a quick half-twist of the top of the pencil, and the stylus is quite responsive when in use. There are no negatives that I have run into yet in my short time with this pencil.

So, what do you think about updating classic pens and pencils to fit today's modern use cases? I would be sad to see older models vanish off the shelf and be replaced with NEW! SHINY!, but as additions to an already great product lineup? I think that only benefits us all in the long run.

(JetPens is an advertiser on The Pen Addict and I received this product at no charge.)

Posted on June 5, 2014 by Brad Dowdy and filed under Rotring, Pencil Reviews.